Strong Personal Statement Cvs

With employers taking on average 8.8 seconds to scan a CV, it’s really important that your personal statement stands out and you understand how to sell yourself effectively.

Lis McGuire, Professional CV Writer and Founder of Giraffe CVs says “Your personal statement is one of the most important elements of your application. Sitting at the top of your CV, it’s your chance to convince the reader to give your CV their time and attention.”

Some application forms, including university applications, require a more in depth personal statement, often up to two pages, and a different approach is required. For this guide we’re focusing on the personal statement on your CV.

Table of contents

Part 1: What is a personal statement?

Part 2: Writing a personal statement

Part 3: Personal statement examples

Part 4: Personal statement do’s and don’ts

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement, also known as a personal profile, summarises what you can offer an employer in relation to the job you’re applying for.

“It needs to convince your audience that you’re a good fit for the role in hand” says McGuire, Founder of Giraffe CVs.

Senior HR Business Partner at Amazon, Lucy Ventrice agrees “It’s your opportunity to sell yourself and highlight what sets you apart from others”.

The personal statement shouldn’t be confused with a supporting statement, which is similar to a cover letter.

The functional, chronological or hybrid styles of CV all require a personal statement.

Writing a personal statement can be challenging.

You have to condense your experience and skills into a few sentences.

The advice in this guide will help you produce a first class personal statement on your CV.

Writing a personal statement

Recruiters and employers like personal statements as they can easily see if you are a match in skills, experience and attitude to their job.

With over 100 applications for some vacancies this is a brilliant time saver. Recruiter will only read the rest of your CV if you’re personal statement signals you’ll add value.

You need to be able to sell yourself succinctly in your personal statement to stand out from the crowd.

Lucy Ventrice, Senior HR Business Partner at Amazon agrees “in a very competitive market you must focus on what experience, skills or attributes you have that would benefit a future employer?”

How long should a personal statement be?

Sharon Xenophonotos, Senior HR Manager at Macfarlanes LLP recommends you “use proper sentences, a short paragraph of two to three sentences should be sufficient”.

Sally Whiteside, Head of HR for Tesco Online agrees “It should be short and sharp, representing your tone of voice to set you apart”.

Remember, the personal statement is a summary. You can expand on your successes elsewhere in your CV.

How to structure a personal statement

A personal statement should answer the question “why are you the best person for the job?” says Lucy Ventrice Senior HR Business Partner at Amazon.

She suggests “Start with a mind map. Put yourself in the middle and [write down] your experience, skills and attributes. Do the same with the future employer in the middle, what are they looking for in the job advert? Then compare the two and build from there.”

McGuire, a Professional CV Writer adds “while it may seem logical that your personal statement should be all about you, to be effective, it should be about your target employer and how you can meet their needs”.

Break this down into:

Number of years of experience in the field.

What specialist or transferable skills can you offer?

What areas of expertise do you have?

What relevant industries have you worked in?

What personal qualities relevant to the role can you offer?

Do you have any relevant qualifications or interests?

The answers to these questions will determine the structure of your personal statement.

Sally Whiteside, Head of HR for Tesco Online agrees “The statement should be structured around your history of achievements, linking them all together to tell a compelling story of what it would be like to work with you and what value you will add to the company.”

How to start a personal statement

While introducing yourself in a career summary format, your opening sentence needs to “hook your reader, compelling them to read the next sentence, and the next” says McGuire, Founder of Giraffe CVs.

The opening sentence of your personal statement should include:

Your job title.

Number of years’ experience.

A particular expertise you have.

Active positive words or verbs.

Example personal statement opening

Innovative Project Manager (Prince II Practitioner and Certified Scrum Master) with over 5 years’ experience managing complex IT projects for a FTSE 100 company operating across the UK, Europe, India and South Africa.

How to end a personal statement

There are two ways to end your personal statement.

Senior HR Manager at Macfarlanes LLP, Sharon Xenophontos, finds it helpful if candidates let employers know what they are looking for. “It’s all part of the matching process” she says.

If you’re at a relatively early stage in your career state your career goal. Remember, your stated must relate to the role you’re applying for.

Example personal statement ending – entry level

My career goal is to gain responsibility for leading on a project and managing delivery successfully, actively contributing to achieving the business goals.

If you’re a bit further along in your career, state more specific goals and why you’d like to work for the employer.

Example personal statement ending –career developer

Hoping to join an innovative and dynamic company, and develop my social media and marketing skills further.

What should I include in my personal statement?

Here we’ve listed what to include in your personal statement, and what not to include.

Include in the personal statement

Very little! Be concise. 150 words maximum. “Lengthy blocks of text are a turn off when you have a huge stack of CVs to get through” adds McGuire.

Skills that are specific to the job. A good example would be ‘skilled in taking client briefs and presenting findings to stakeholders’. Avoid generic statements such as ‘possess good communication skills’.

Skills that make you stand out from all the other applicants. Think about the unique value you can bring to the employer.

Evidence of how your skills, competencies and experiences match the requirements set out in the job description/advert. “Think of examples that help to bring what you’re saying to life” adds Ventrice.

Language, lingo and vocabulary comparable to that used by the employer in the job description, their website, their social media channels. Doing this will go a long way to showing that you’re a good fit for the organisation.

The basics of good writing; “keep it simple, no jargon, correct grammar, avoid duplication.” says Ventrice.

Your passions, as long as they’re relevant. For example, if you’re passionate about the environment and are applying for a job in a sustainability organisation it can help you stand out.

Unemployed personal statement

Our first piece of advice is to play down the fact you’re unemployed. Or, in other words, don’t write anything to highlight it.

Focus on the skills and experience you’re bringing to the role and the difference you can make.

Employers may wonder how up to date you are. You can address this head on in your personal statement by highlighting volunteering, attending training courses or reading trade journals or blogs to stay aware of industry trends.

Don’t worry too much about the gap on your CV. These days, employers are more understanding. After all, there are countless reasons why people become unemployed, for example redundancy or caring for dependants.

Unemployed: Sample CV template and guide

Unemployed personal statement example

Successful Sales Manager with over eight years’ experience in the Telecoms industry. Proven track record of success, including leading the top performing team in the region, and developing a sales training programme for all new staff. Now looking for the right opportunity to bring my skills to a dynamic IT software company in a management position.

School leaver personal statement

School leavers worry they don’t have anything to put in a personal statement.

Jon Gregory, Editor of Win that Job.com, who advises parents and teenagers to find work, has this advice:

“Employers are usually not recruiting school leavers for knowledge or experience. They want to understand why you’re interested in a particular job. If you ‘care about the environment’ or perhaps ‘love working with animals’, it’s that relevant individuality that counts.”

Gregory adds “Talk less about what you want and more about what you can give in the future. Show you are positive, proactive, determined and in it for the long haul”.

Think widely about how your hobbies or interests could be relevant. Gregory recommends that “if you have employability skills developed from other work, projects or interests, use them to demonstrate your potential.”

First job: Sample CV and guide

School leaver personal statement example

Motivated and enthusiastic student with a passion for design technology, especially woodwork. I am interested in completing a construction apprenticeship in joinery, as I have always enjoyed making things. I am good at maths and confident when taking measurements and I recently won a school award for my chair design.

Graduate personal statement

When writing your first CV after graduating, Sue Moseley, Senior Career Advisor for London University recommends that you “think of your personal statement as the headline to your CV. A good headline grabs attention because it connects with something the reader cares about. So start with what the employer cares about and work from there”.

“Change your statement for each application even if it’s just a linguistic tweak to match the employer’s voice. If the job ad asks for ‘excellent customer experience’, using those terms in your statement will increase impact” she adds.

“The vital key to impact is evidence” she goes on to say “When an employer reads your statement, how do they know it’s true? Use examples and numbers, based on things you’ve done”.

Graduate: Sample CV template and guide

Graduate personal statement example

Customer experience: As a student ambassador I welcomed a group of 30 sixth formers and their families onto campus and received positive feedback about the clear and helpful way I handled questions.

Career change personal statement

Lis McGuire, Founder of Giraffe CVs says “show how your transferrable skills can be applied to your target career and convey energy, enthusiasm, and commitment ”. She adds “don’t fall into the trap of over-explaining yourself and the reasons for your transition”.

If you’re changing careers to move into HR, for example, highlight the relevant parts of your previous career such as people management, recruitment or inductions, training, and exclude the other less relevant areas of your roles.

Career change: Sample CV template and guide

Career change personal statement example

Experienced manager with 5 years’ experience in recruiting, inducting and training staff. Recently delivered change management and restructuring programme for two departments, sensitively managing redundancies and redeployments. Passionate about employee engagement and enabling staff to contribute fully to achieve business aims. Now looking for challenging HR role in the retail sector.

Career break personal statement

“When your CV lands on a hiring manager, or recruiter’s desk, the first questions they’ll have are, ‘Why did this person take a career break?’ and, ‘can they do this job?’” says Fay Wallis, Founder of Bright Sky HR Consulting. “Your personal statement is the best place to answer these questions and explain away any concerns” says Wallis.

She warns “don’t make your career break the focus of your CV though. Instead, make your experience and relevance for the role leap out at the person reading it”.

“Follow this with a brief reason for your career break. And end the personal statement with another reason that you are right for the role” Wallis adds.

Returning to work: Sample CV template and guide

Career break personal statement example

An experienced Communications Officer, with proven media relations, copywriting and proofreading skills within the voluntary sector. Looking to return to a communications role, following a career break to travel the world to experience other cultures. Recently qualified in social media management with a strong interest in working for a sustainability organisation.

Nursing personal statement

Julie Watkins, Careers Advisor at The Royal College of Nursing suggests that “your personal statement should include the kind of sector you have worked in, any relevant clinical fields and what you’re passionate about.” She goes on to say “this could include empowering patients to take ownership of their health and wellbeing or an interest in health promotion.”

Watkins adds “in the current fast paced environment of the NHS you must emphasise your resilience and flexibility.”

She also highlights “the need for a tailored personal statement, as it’s the one thing that will really make your CV to stand out in the health sector.”

Nursing personal statement example

Caring and efficient Nurse committed to safeguarding the medical needs and wellbeing of my patients and their families. Particularly skilled at building rapport with anxious patients and focused on providing a high standard of care that lead to improved patient recovery. Experienced in a number of specialist and complex fields including geriatrics, cardiac and maxillofacial. Excellent observational and record keeping skills to ensure continuity of care and team support. Looking to now develop experience in other clinical areas within a high performing Trust.

Midwifery personal statement

Lynne Pacanowski, Director of Midwifery at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital suggests “identifying what you have learnt from working in different areas such as antenatal, community, labour ward, or from services such as midwife led or tertiary units, and use this in your personal statement.”

Include skills that will interest the Trust, for example, advising expectant mothers on diet, exercise and medications during pregnancy.

Pacaonwski recommends you “demonstrate that you understand the population of the area the Trust serves.”

She goes on to say “you can also highlight challenging situations you have been involved with, for example, difficult births, identifying when cesareans are needed, or supporting mothers with challenging home situations.”

Midwifery personal statement example

Professional, approachable and efficient Midwife committed to providing the best quality care and support for mothers and families throughout their pregnancies. Four years’ experience and a first honours midwifery degree from University of Liverpool. Extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of pregnancy including ante and postnatal nutrition, and supporting both low and high risk women in a hospital setting. Have experience in both medical and community midwifery, particularly with women from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Recently trained in aromatherapy to support women mentally and physically during labour. Looking for a new position within a progressive Trust with a Birthing Centre.

Teaching personal statement

Jo Postlethwaite, Head Teacher of Somervale School, recommends that you get to know your target audience and says “Read everything you can about the setting. Read their vision statement. What can you say about yourself that shows you support this ethos?”

Secondly she recommends that you “Talk like a member of staff – spend a bit of time looking at the sort of language the establishment uses. Do they talk about pupils, students or children? Do they talk about ambition or aspiration? Ensure you use their words back to them.”

Additionally, it’s important to describe your teaching philosophy and enthusiasm for your subject.

Teaching personal statement example

Passionate Science Teacher striving to make a real difference to young people’s lives through engaging lessons matched to individual learning needs. Excellent behavioural management skills gained through vast experience of working in diverse academic settings. Experienced in developing lessons for a wide range of students. Now looking for a teaching role that offers more responsibility and management experience within a challenging and proactive school.

Teaching assistant personal statement

Jo Postlethwaite, Head Teacher of Somervale School, feels that “simple is best. Don’t over complicate what you write. This is your opportunity to summarise your good points. So, be succinct, but don’t forget to highlight how you work closely with teachers and parents as well as pupils.”

Postlethwaite often has 50+ applications to read through so she wants to see candidates “showing their ‘unique selling points (USP). But don’t be tempted to go for a ‘wacky’ colour or design as this can be off-putting.”

Finally, Postlethwaite recommends you “check your spelling and grammar, not just for your personal statement but your whole application. Errors in applications for teaching or support roles would end up on the ‘no’ pile.”

Teaching assistant personal statement example

A highly motivated Teaching Assistant with four years experience and a caring and supportive attitude. Through my recent studies in Early Childhood, I am up to date with developments in Early Years Care and Education, and have recent experience in Reception and Y1 classes. I have supported children with special needs and helped with behaviour management in the playground. Happy to support teachers with developing learning materials and displaying work, and am also comfortable communicating with parents and carers. Now looking to broaden my experience with Y2 and 3 children.

Accounting personal statement

Ex-Accountant turned Career Coach Diana Norris of Career Balance suggests that “you should think of your CV as the first report you will write for your new employer, and your personal statement as the executive summary. Your statement should show you can write succinctly and ensure your reader grasps the essentials of your argument.”

Norris goes on to add “anything you think an employer really needs to notice should be in your profile. If you’re fluent in another European language, and the organisation you’re applying to does business in the EU, don’t leave that information languishing at the bottom of the second page of your document.”

She also recommends that you “avoid over used phrases like “good team player”. She calls it ‘CV ‘blah blah blah’ language. Employers tend not to see it when they read a CV – their eyes slide over it.”

Accounting personal statement example

Experienced and qualified Accountant with a sound understanding of financial controls and processes. A strong commercial awareness combined with the ability to analyse and produce high quality management reports to tight deadlines. Specific experience of developing cost saving practices, budget management and forecasting within the retail and utilities sectors. Now looking to broaden experience specifically in an IT firm.

Marketing personal statement

Kate Kassis, Marketing Manager for Harrods has the following advice for would-be marketing executives: “Keep it concise and avoid unnecessary use of adjectives. Simple yet effective language skills are key to any marketing role.”

Kassis goes on to say: “Be honest. Don’t over-sell but, where possible, look to include a commercial angle. Creativity is key in Marketing but the ability to think strategically is even more important”.

When she’s recruiting, Kassis looks for something that tells her the applicant has the ability to ‘run with it’. This means working to deadlines, managing and presenting to stakeholders, delivering results and critically analysing.

Marketing personal statement example

Intuitive Marketing Executive skilled at increasing sales through diligent research and efficient resource allocation. Especially adept at managing complex projects while also developing key stakeholder relationships. Able to maximise profits whilst working within a tight marketing budget. Enjoy identifying client needs and delivering practical short and long term solutions. Now looking or a new role to develop my digital marketing skills.

Civil engineering personal statement

“A good personal statement should focus on three key themes – your postgraduate experience, including details of chartership; the range of technical skills you have developed; and how you apply these to consultancy” says Rob Delahunty, Associate Director at Webb Yates Engineers.

“You’ll really stand out to an employer”, says Delahunty, “if you can show how these themes transfer to the workplace. Highlight your ability to work within a design team with architects, contractors and other specialists; show how your specialist IT knowledge or skill for analysis was applied to project challenges; and demonstrate your experience in assessing the environmental or safety impact of a project.”

Delahunty recommends: “Include any licences, industry accreditation, security clearances and certification you have, as they establish you as a recognised professional in the industry.”

Civil engineering personal statement example

An ambitious and highly motivated Civil Engineer with strong practical and technical skills, consistently finishes commercial and residential projects under budget and on schedule. Sound knowledge of designing, testing and evaluating overall effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety of a design. Advocates for environmentally-conscious design and cost-effective public infrastructure solutions. Currently seeking a challenging professional position within a cutting edge engineering practice.

Customer service personal statement

“Convey your enthusiasm for the role as employers are looking for staff who will represent them and their brand in a positive way. Highlight if you won any awards or suggested a change that benefited customers in some way” suggests Amanda Reuben, Experienced Fashion & Retail Brands Recruiter and Founder of Bijou Recruitment.

Reuben wants to see a number of personal qualities displayed in a Customer Service personal statement. She says, “you want your candidate to be friendly, warm and engaging whilst also remaining calm under pressure.” She also recommends that you show how you have managed customer expectations or dealt with difficult situations.

Think what you associate with the brand or company – are they fast paced and focused on efficient service, or do they like you to take time with customers. Show you understand and can support their approach.

Customer service personal statement example

A well-presented, patient and friendly Customer Service Advisor with a proven track record of building relationships by providing information on additional products and services and helping customers find the right ones to meet their needs. A genuine ‘can-do’ attitude demonstrated through a number of staff awards, and an excellent telephone manner combines to contribute to the growth of any business. Trained in effectively resolving customer complaints and now looking for a suitable position to take on more responsibility and expand retail experience.

Economics personal statement

For your personal statement to stand out, Dr Chris Sherrington, Head of Environmental Policy and Economics for Eunomia, an independent consultancy recommends you “show creativity in the way you’ve approached problems. This is important as there can be subject areas within specialist fields where outcomes can’t easily be quantified.”

He goes on to say “also show how you’ve offered relevant advice based on sound economic principles, and where you’ve successfully made the best use of the data that’s available.” This could be in a report you’ve produced or some analysis you’ve delivered.

Economics personal statement example

Proactive Economist with 5 years’ experience in both public and private sector, and specific expertise in healthcare trends. Extremely skilled in market trend analysis, financial modelling and business planning, having delivered a comprehensive management report on a proposed outsourcing opportunity. Enjoy developing productive industry and internal relationships to increase understanding of business needs and economic impact. Now looking for a role to further develop my strategic planning skills within the environmental sector.

Personal statement do’s and don’ts

Do sell yourself and highlight what sets you apart from other candidates.

Do make it relevant. Tailor it to the job you are applying for.

Do be succinct. Max 150 words or 2-3 sentences.

Do use a career summary format showing what you have to offer.

Do make it engaging. It needs to be interesting to read.

Do be specific. Avoid generic phrases that everyone uses.

Do show some passion, as long as it’s relevant.

Do make it about the employer. Show how you can do their job.

Do include number of years experience, specialist skills and expertise, relevant industries and personal qualities.

Do have a strong opening sentence to ‘hook’ the employer to read on.

Do end your statement by letting the employer know what you are looking for.

Do show you’re a good fit. Pay attention to the language used by the employer.

Don’t make spelling or grammar errors.

Don’t be negative about yourself or a previous employer.

Don’t exaggerate or embellish what you can do. Be honest.

How to write CV profiles, personal statements, career aims and objectives.

A Career Aim, Personal Statement or Profile can be a useful way of flagging an interest and skills for a particular career on your CV, particularly if you have no relevant degree or work experience to give your CV focus. When profile is used used on this page it can be assumed that personal statement could have been used in its place. A profile is only part of a CV so this section should be read in conjunction with our CV examples.

What do you call it?

CAREER OBJECTIVE?

CAREER AIM?

CAREER ASPIRATION?

CAREER GOAL?

PERSONAL PROFILE?

PERSONAL STATEMENT?

KEY ATTRIBUTES?

ABOUT ME

My own preferred title is simply:

PROFILE

Focuses on the type of work you wish to get into.

short and to the point.

contains a sentence or two about the type of work you are aiming for.

a few lines about the attributes which make you suitable for the role.

You can even call it nothing at all. If it's in the usual place at the start of the CV you can just have an un-named paragraph.

Is it necessary?

What is the difference between a personal statement and a covering letter?

A profile is a short introduction to your CV, whereas a covering letter is a one page letter going into much more detail about why you are suitable for a specific job and organisation. There will inevitably be some overlap in content, so try to write any similar content using different words (use a thesaurus) and from a slightly different perspective.

Because your profile will be on all your CVs, you normally just mention the particular job sector you are applying for jobs in (e.g. publishing). A covering letter is normally used to apply for a specific advertised vacancy and so will focus on a particular job (e.g. editorial assistant in a particular publishing company). Sometimes you may send out a speculative covering letter with your CV and here the focus will be broad, just like in the profile, as you don't know which jobs might be available.

Profile Content

Covering Letter Content

State the JOB SECTOR you’re applying for e.g. publishing

Summarise your strengths.

When you're available to start

State the JOB you’re applying for e.g. editorial assistant.

Where you found out about it (advert in The Guardian newspaper etc. - organisations like to know which of their advertising sources are being successful)

When you're available to start work (and end if it's a placement)

Why you're interested in that type of work

Why the company attracts you (if it's a small company say you prefer to work for a small friendly organisation!)

Summarise your strengths and how they might be an advantage to the organisation.

Relate your skills to the job.

Mention any dates that you won't be available for interview

Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.

What if I have no idea of what job I wish to go in to?

In this case it might be better not to include a profile. An unfocused profile is worse than none at all. However, a carefully worded summary of your key strengths and attributes will enhance your CV.

How long should it be and where do you put it?

No longer than six lines - some sites suggest a maximum of 4 lines. It must be short and positive with your key strengths, skills, experience and interests. It is mean to be an appetiser rather than to give the employer indigestion! The time to elaborate and give evidence for these is later in the CV.

Place it at the start of the CV. Recently I've seen some CVs with the statement half way through the CV or at the end. This seems to defeat the object, which is to give a concise introduction to your aims and skills.

Start with a short description: "A highly motivated graduate who has just completed a Law degree at the University of Kent"

When badly written, they are vague with sweeping generic statements: "I have good teamworking and communication skills" sends selectors to sleep as it appears so regularly. Use a Thesaurus or see our Skills Map for better words to use! Learn to use action words to brighten up the content.

Analyse your core strengths. A profile is a sales tool: a concise summary of why they should take you, so you should include brief details of your major selling points, especially those that are important in the job you are applying to.

CVs sent to recruitment agencies can benefit from a statement as a covering letter may become detached. Some agencies send you for unsuitable jobs and a career aim can help to prevent this. However the career aim here needs to be fairly broad or you may get submitted for few vacancies.

Avoid Buzzwords!

Buzzwords make you sound like just another faceless candidate, a plastic applicant with no real personality who just cuts and pastes from other people's CVs. According to a survey by LinkedIn here are the top 10 overused buzzwords used in LinkedIn Profiles in the USA in 2010

In other countries extensive experience was most used in the USA, Canada, Australia, dynamic was most common in Brazil, India, Spain, motivated was the most common one in the UK whereas in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, innovative ruled the roost. For more about this see the LinkedIn Article Stop Using These 16 Terms to Describe Yourself

THE GOOD ......

AMY BUCKSHEATH

14, Wychurch Road, Canterbury, Kent. CT2 7SJ.

Tel. 01227 - 764521 email ab999@kent.ac.uk

Profile

An adaptable and responsible graduate seeking an entry-level position in public relations which will utilise the organisational and communication skills developed through my involvement with Kent Rag and promotional work during vacations.

During my degree I successfully combined my studies with work and other commitments showing myself to be self-motivated, organised and capable of working under pressure. I have a clear, logical mind with a practical approach to problem solving and a drive to see things through to completion. I enjoy working on my own initiative or in a team. In short, I am reliable, trustworthy, hardworking and eager to learn and have a genuine interest in PR.

Education ........ (CV continues here)

The Profile normally starts straight after the personal details on the CV (these will be missed out in all the other examples to save space. See our CV examples to see how the profile fits in with the rest of the CV.)

Clear career aim and evidence of some involvement in PR related activities whilst at university. This is informative, factual and focused on the job in question and gives information that encourages the reader to delve further into the CV.

"Successfully combined my studies with work and other commitments". Public Relations is largely about juggling lots of different tasks successfully, so this is an important piece of evidence that she will cope with the demands of the job

THE AVERAGE ......

Personal Statement

I am an energetic and enthusiastic person who enjoys a challenge and achieving personal goals. My present career aim is to work within IT because I enjoy working with computers, I enjoy the environment and I find the work interesting and satisfying. The opportunity to learn new skills and work with new technologies is particularly attractive to me.

This statement is very bland: too vague and makes broad general statements.

This is a good example of where it would be better to use no statement at all as it adds nothing to the CV. If you are not sure leave out the profile and use your covering letter to sell your skills instead.

AND THE UGLY!

Personnel Statement

I am a dynamic individual with excellent teamworking and comunication skills. I would like job in business.

It should be Personal Statement NOT Personnel!

CoMunication is spelt wrongly here - should be coMMunication.

Avoid hackneyed phrases such as "I have good communication skills and work well in a team" They sound vague and vacuous, send selectors to sleep.

A very vague career aim.

Statements such as "I am a dynamic individual" can sound arrogant unless well written, and more importantly backed up with evidence later in the CV, otherwise they can sound just like hot air! Although see our Confident Covering Letter to see how this strategy can be made to work effectively

MORE EXAMPLES

Profile

I am looking for management training which offers me the opportunity to develop new skills while strengthening those I already possess.

My degree in History has enabled me to develop good organisational skills, an analytical/logical approach to tasks and the ability to work under pressure. I am able to work well both on my own initiative and as part of a team.

My main strengths are adaptability, dependability and the determination to get a job done as proven by my varied work experiences in retail, catering, hospitality work, teaching and patient care. I try to learn something new from every experience because I believe there is always room for self-improvement both personally and professionally.

Fairly broad career objective: she's trying to keep her options open here.

Sells the skills she has gained in her degree.

Summarises her main strengths and relates these to her work experience.

Nice last line about self improvement. Employers particularly like graduates who are up for new challenges.

About Me

I have a visual impairment (full details are available on request), but this has not in any way prevented me from successfully completing a demanding degree course and further education qualifications. Far from being a disadvantage, this has increased my awareness of the needs of others and has increased my determination to succeed and to persevere when obstacles are placed in my path.

This focuses on the applicant's disability, but rather than deterring the selector, it sells the skills she has gained from overcoming her disability ; awareness of the needs of others, determination and perseverance. It is short, to the point and effective.

Interesting title: About Me. This is a more informal title that might work well in the creative and media fields.

Personal Statement

A graduate with strong communication and organisational skills gained in nursing, now seeking to move into a career as an analytical chemist. Whilst my degree is in forensic science a large majority of the course consisted of chemistry, as highlighted by the list of modules completed on my course shown below. I feel I have learned more than just the theory behind Forensics but also many fundamental skills for my career and life.

As I am a mature student I have other qualities to bring to the work place such as good team work, organisational skills, efficiency and I am very meticulous, I show pride in all the work I do, I work well under pressure and I love a challenge. I posses excellent verbal and written communication skills and am able to relate to a wide range of people. All these skills have been enhanced during all the work experiences I have gained over the years.

Profile for a mature student.

Starts with her objective. Also sells her degree, even though it's in a slightly different field to that she is applying for, by listing relevant modules (not shown here of course: see the science CV).

Sells the attributes she brings to the workplace as a mature graduate: pride in work, gets on well with a range of people.

Also says she has some of the key skills required by forensic scientists: meticulous, efficient, organised.

Career Aspiration

To enter a graduate training programme in multimedia, preferably in the new-media sector where my creative initiative, ideas and a genuine enthusiasm would allow me to progress.

I have a good working knowledge of many industry leading software applications such as Adobe Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Autodesk Maya. I work to the highest standards and have an eye for detail with skills in design and organisation. Completing my course projects has taught me to provide originality and quality whilst successfully meeting deadlines.

A clear, well written objective here can help to stand out from the crowd in the competitive area of the media or multimedia.

Gives brief evidence of technical skills. More details would be given later in the CV.

A versatile IT graduate, possessing strong motivational drive to succeed in the industry.

Highly developed skills in problem identification and implementation of effective solutions. Comfortable with analysing and understanding data, working under time pressure and presenting myself in a professional manner. Excellent inter-personal communication and social skills built through extensive training with the Samaritans. A friendly, mature and flexible individual with a proven entrepreneurial approach towards objectives and tasks.

Here there is no heading to the profile. It's obvious that it is a profile by the content, and with CVs, the simpler it is, the better!

A very confident profile. Written without the use of personal pronouns (I have ....) to save space.

Second paragraph is rather dense and might be better broken up by the use of bullets or smaller paragraphs to make easier to read.

Career Aim

A Business Administration graduate from the University of Kent. He has skills and knowledge essential for managing key areas of an organisation and the problem solving skills needed in finance. He is looking for a graduate trainee post in marketing where he can use his strong influencing skills.

Through his studies, work and voluntary roles he has acquired the ability to meet deadlines while maintaining a high standard of work. He possesses a good telephone manner and is able to relate to a wide range of people.

Clear objective, although a bit confusing - mentions both finance and marketing!

Targeted at the skills required for the job :

This is written in the 3rd person (he rather than I) as if written by a referee. This seems to be a modern trend recommended by some recruitment agencies, but I'm not keen as it seems rather false and impersonal.

Key Attributes

Self motivated graduate with well developed project management and IT skills combined with a flexible attitude to work.

A critical thinker with strong analytical skills

Strong team-player skills developed through work in retail, in group laboratory experiments associated with the degree, and in particular group presentation work, in which good marks were achieved.

Good organisational skills developed in a variety of deadline orientated situations.

Get on well with people at all levels, easily making good working relationships.

Have good presentation skills combining sound analytical research and clear verbal explanation.

Seek out new responsibilities irrespective of reward and recognition.

Strive for quality in everything I do.

Uses "key attributes" instead of profile here.

A bulleted list here. Looks well organised and easy to see the key points, but a short paragraph of prose is warmer and more friendly. Action words are well used here.

Misses out the personal pronoun and verb here (I am ....). This saves space and gives a cleaner look.

Project management skills are increasingly in demand so sell course projects and especially group projects.

Also evidence for other relevant skills: presenting, quality focus, people skills and team working.

Also see Personal Statements for Postgraduate Study and Personal Statements for Teacher Training